A Garden for Ministry 4

Talking Faith 6

Back on the Streets 8

Linked Paths 12

AMONGChristian Reformed World Missions

Spring 2015 • Volume 4 • No.2 • www.CRWM.org

2 • AMONG THE NATIONS

A publication of Christian Reformed World Missions

Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) exists to glorify God by leading the CRC to respond obediently to our Lord’s commission to witness to the Good News of God’s Kingdom and make disciples of all nations.

For more stories and videos about the work of CRWM, visit us at:www.CRWM.org

Cover Photo:An elderly woman walks down a St. Petersburg street on a rainy afternoon.

Photo by: Julie Remizova

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AMONG

When CRWM reports on how God is working through missionaries, it can be tempting for us to draw neat lines that separate a missionary’s life into distinct “ministry related” and “other” categories.

Many of our publications report how God works through leadership training workshops, through the positive example of a Christian teacher, and through programmed youth ministry—but isn’t He also working during the “other” parts of a missionary’s schedule?

As Reformed Christians, we believe that God’s work transcends all boundaries. His Kingdom covers all places, and His reign is infinite.

These stories remind us of that sovereignty.

Although Gary and Galya Timmerman first met Mikhail as a student, their discipleship was not limited to the classroom. They had him over for dinner. They helped him move into a new apartment. God is working through these events to strengthen Mikhail’s faith (page 8).

In Uganda, Stella and Eric are working together on a

community garden (page 4). This is not part of a specific class but is simply an activity that Stella was excited to try in her free time. Still, God is working through that project to strengthen the faith of Stella and Eric and to bless others.

The same is true for Israel’s story (page 12). Scott Geurink discipled Israel while in seminary and while working on a joint church plant. But this discipleship had started long before, when they had first met on a basketball court.

Thank you for supporting missionaries around the world—missionaries whose service to God is driven by their overall calling, and not limited to specific duties on their job descriptions.

Gary J BekkerExecutive Director

SPRING 2015 • 3

The CRWM office in Grand Rapids recently had a visit from Roger Vander Meulen. His sister, Ruth, served as a CRWM missionary in Nigeria for 25 years, and he came to drop off a few of her treasures from her time of service.

Although Ruth left Nigeria in 1980, the collection shows that when she passed away in 2007, much of her heart was still with the people she had met on the mis-sion field.

Ruth kept treasures such as letters she had sent and re-ceived, newspaper scraps highlighting her service, and photos from the field. One of Ruth’s letters told the story of how God had first called her to Nigeria.

According to the letter, her call to missions came when she was in Kentucky, where she combined her love of horses with her passion for nursing at the Frontier Nursing Service. She served there as a midwife who sometimes had to rush pregnant women to the hospital on horseback.

The letter told how Ruth’s pastor visited her in Ken-tucky and asked if she had ever considered doing mis-sions work. After much personal reflection and prayer, she said yes.

“If the Lord needed me in Africa, I was willing to go there too,” she recalled in the letter.

Another treasure Ruth kept was an address book. The small scraps of paper in this book contain the names of several friends she made in Nigeria. Ruth made these friends while serving in various nursing roles, leading health and nutrition clinics, administering shots, and delivering many babies.

In fact, Ruth delivered 3,750 babies in just four of her years in Nigeria, according to the front page of a 1980 Banner magazine from Ruth’s collection.

The Banner story also told how Ruth took opportuni-ties to share her faith with the babies’ mothers as she worked with them. She saw her work as an opportunity to lay a foundation for the Holy Spirit to work further.

“I feel that I prepared the soil for later con-versions,” she said in the article.

The treasures Ruth kept likely tell just a small portion of the story of her service and the effect it had on the rest of her life. Praise God for Ruth Vander Meulen’s life of service and the lasting relation-ships she built.

ALUMNI CORNER

4 • AMONG THE NATIONS

UGANDA

Sewing and Sowing in MinistryStella was too excited to sleep. The plans that she had for manure were keeping her wide awake.

As a first-year student at Pentecostal Theological College (PTC) in Uganda, Stella is gaining agricul-tural skills that will improve her economic status along with that of her future church community.

In a recent conversation with Eric Ranck—a CRWM volunteer who serves in PTC’s agricul-tural program—Stella learned a new technique for planting banana trees. The first step: col-lecting as much manure as she could before the rainy season.

“I like learning so much, and I was so excited about what [Eric] told me,” Stella said. “I called my mom and told her to save all the manure she could find.”

A Difficult UpbringingBorn into poverty, Stella recalls the difficulties she had growing up.

“My dad had an alcohol problem, and we al-ways struggled with money,” she said. “I had to drop out of high school because I didn’t have enough money to finish.”

But Stella didn’t give up on her dream of get-ting an education. She taught herself how to sew and used her new skill to create beautiful dresses and shirts.

Thousands of stitches later, Stella earned enough money to send all nine of her siblings to universi-ties before enrolling herself. In September 2014, Stella joined PTC’s bridging program, designed to help students who have not completed high school to catch up before they begin college classes.

A Gardenfor Ministry

SPRING 2015 • 5

CRWM began partnering with Pentecostal Theological College in Uganda in 2008 to begin an initiative called “farming in faith.” Pastors in Uganda make little to no money and often need to find another way to make ends meet.

“The goal is for the students to learn a trade that they can take with them when they gradu-ate as well as be able to teach agriculture to others in their community,” says Eric.

A Knack for FarmingAfter taking a few classes with Eric, Stella quickly realized how agricultural skills might help her with her future ministry—and she is already find-ing ways to expand the college’s newly formed department of community transformation.

“Can we plant a small garden at the college during the dry season?” she asked Eric one day. “We can build a fence, and I will get up before school starts to water it.”

Eric saw the garden as a learning opportunity, and soon other students got involved in the project as well.

Although Stella is still seeking God’s direction for her future in ministry, she hopes to con-tinue using her developing agricultural skills.

“I always marvel at God’s work in people when I think of Stella,” Eric added. “She teaches me to love and extend grace to everyone I meet.”

Pray that Stella will continue to seek the Lord’s guid-ance as she looks for future ministry work.

“Stella quickly realized

how agricultural skills

might help her with her

future ministry.”

Farming in Faith

(top) Stella used her sewing skills to pay for her education; (bottom) Stella and Eric in the new garden

A group of 15 college students sits together in a circle on the floor. This group of friends represents three different faiths—Christians, Muslims, and Hindus—but it was not un-til recently that they could discuss the taboo subject of their differing beliefs with one another.

Over the past year, Jeffrey Bos, a CRWM missionary serving in Bangladesh, has been meeting with this group and guid-ing their discussions in partnership with a local organization. Together they are deepening their friendships by exploring one another’s scriptures.

This approach, known as Scriptural Reasoning, seeks not agree-ment but understanding and friendship. “As group members read scriptures together, they learn through other interpretations and discover how to articulate the power of their scriptures and build peaceful relationships,” said Jeffrey.

The following numbered sections outline a group session on the topic of pride, giving a glimpse into the conversations and friendships that emerge whenever the group meets.

1. Breaking TensionThe session begins with some uneasiness. As the facilitators welcome the group, a few students mutter a response. It’s time to find a new way to break the tension.

The group splits into pairs, and soon the room comes to life with chatter and laughter. This continues until someone rings a bell. Now, as a larger group, participants share how they are feeling, many mentioning the initial feelings of tension.

2. Reading ScriptureThe group begins the Scriptural Reading process with a pas-sage from the Quran. This particular passage mentions Mo-ses and Isa (Jesus) as it discusses the theme of pride.

After the reading, Muslim students explain the meanings of Arabic terms and other background information that might be necessary. Christian students respond by sharing what the Bible says about this topic and how they interpret this Quranic passage.

“Interestingly, Christians were interpreting the Quran in the presence of Muslims!” says Jeffrey.

Next, the group reads a biblical passage about pride. A Hindu student responds, sharing that she appreciates how this par-ticular biblical passage is clearer than the Quran.

“It was striking that one would venture such a critique and also an appreciation of another tradition’s scripture,” says Jeffrey.

6 • AMONG THE NATIONS

BANGLADESH

Talking Faith

Religion is a volatile subject in today’s world.How can we become friends and not enemies with others?

SPRING 2015 • 7

3. Building Friendship through StoriesThe group enters into a deep discussion. Participants from all three faith backgrounds contribute to the conversation and listen intently to each other’s responses. They begin convers-ing about pride through other scriptural stories.

The facilitators also ask students to share personal stories that deal with pride. After a slight hesitation, a girl begins telling her story of how her pride separated her from other students. As she let go of this pride, she became more social.

This personal confession leads others to share their examples of wrestling with pride.

“The storytelling, explanations, and corrections went around like friends in conversation,” says Jeffrey. “These were friends, young people not formally educated in religion or overly versed in study of scripture. And they were digging into the texts, finding inspiration and mutual illumination and being transformed by reading each other’s scriptures together.”

What’s Next?The group continues to meet every month with new topics and discussions. As the friends continue to deepen their rela-tionship with one another, Jeffrey sees these discussions as an opportunity learn more about what it means to be a witness in a pluralist and multifaith world.

“Both in the Bible and in history,” says Jeffrey, “God has used encounters with outsiders and other nations to call His people back to Himself so that they can fulfill their mission-ary task to the world.”

“Perhaps,” added Jeffrey, “our interfaith encounters and ex-periences in dialogue, such as with this group of friends in Bangladesh, can lead us to a deeper understanding and faith in Christ that will in turn enable us to befriend others and become witnesses to Christ with them.”

Pray that God will use these discussions to teach effective ways to share the Good News with others. Pray that this will open the door for the Holy Spirit to work in these conversations.

Young people from different faiths discuss their scriptures every month.

Jeffrey Bos (bottom right) guides the group discussions

8 • AMONG THE NATIONS

RUSSIA

SPRING 2015 • 9

Mikhail’s transformation came from a simple yet pow-erful question from two complete strangers at a train station: “Do you want to change your life?”

Mikhail didn’t hesitate when he heard this question. He heeded the strangers’ call and followed them. Today he is being mentored and discipled by CRWM staff in Russia, Gary and Galya Timmerman.

A Troubling ChildhoodLong before the events at the train station, when Mikhail was just seven, he and his mother were at a river near their village when he helplessly watched his mother drown. That event was just the beginning of a horrific childhood that Mikhail endured.

After the tragedy at the river, Mikhail’s father sought comfort in alcohol and his brother in gang-related crime. By the time he was only 16 years old, Mikhail had lost both of them too.

“Not only did he become an orphan,” says Gary, “but he was also tricked out of his home by a family friend.”

With no one willing to take him in and no money left, the young man left his small town with hopes of find-ing a job in the city of St. Petersburg.

Back at the Train StationMikhail lived homeless in St. Petersburg for ten years, sheltering in basements and cellars. He could not find a job, and over time the overwhelming feeling that he was completely useless overcame him.

Like his father, Mikhail began to depend on alcohol as his only comfort.

When the strangers found Mikhail at the train station, they thought he was an old man. He had a long, dirty beard, and they could smell the alcohol on him the second they approached. Still, they reached out to him with a hopeful message.

“Do you want to change your life?” they asked. “God has a new life ready for you, if you are ready to trust in Jesus.”

The strangers’ names were Olya and Dzhemal, and they served at a Christian rehabilitation center. Ev-ery day they took people like Mikhail to get a bath, a change of clothes, and a few meals. They also shared the Good News of Jesus at the center.

Back on the

STREETSA man who was once homeless finds a mentor and a ministry in Russia

Rehabilitation and Bible SchoolThe Holy Spirit attracted Mikhail to Olya and Dzhemal’s message. Mikhail committed to beginning a new life in Christ. He lived for a year in a house for recovering ad-dicts. While there, he began attending church and becom-ing involved in community service projects.

Still, it was hard for Mikhail to see his place in God’s King-dom. Years of being alone, with nobody to invest in him, made it hard for him to see his personal value.

Mikhail’s pastor thought that Mikhail would benefit from attending a nearby Bible school, and Mikhail agreed. While there, he met two people who were willing to invest in him and disciple him—Gary and Galya Timmerman.

Because of some of the answers that Mikhail gave in Bible school, he quickly became the target of many of the students’ jokes.

“I would actually have to defend him in class some-times,” remembers Gary. “He became very special to me for that reason.”

In Mikhail’s years at Bible school, he took classes on prayer, marriage and family, preaching, church planting, evangelism, the Bible, and leading small groups.

In all of this, Gary and Galya got to know Mikhail and began walking alongside him in his faith. They affection-ately began calling him “Misha” and invited him to their home for dinner on some occasions.

“God has put Mikhail in our path to give him instruction and encouragement even beyond the time we had with him at the Bible school,” said Gary.

Serving in RussiaBoth Gary and Galya worked to build the young man’s self-esteem. They looked for more ways to help Mikhail use his gifts and encouraged him in his long-term dream of becoming a missionary.

“Mikhail invested his caring personality into hospital vis-its and his talents into the church’s theater productions,” said Gary.

Another important gift that Gary saw in Mikhail was his powerful story of transformation. For this reason, he en-couraged Mikhail when he was appointed to a five-member church planting team in another city.

“Misha was blessed with boldness to strike up conversa-tions on the street with any person he met,” said Gary. “You can imagine how gripping his testimony would be.”

10 • AMONG THE NATIONS

“Misha was blessed with boldness to strike up conversations on the street with any person he meets”

Gary teaches at the discipleship school (left) and works alongside students like Mikhail (right)

SPRING 2015 • 11

Belonging After the church plant got started, Mikhail moved back to St. Petersburg, and today he continues to seek advice from Gary and Galya. They see him as an adopted son and enjoy the unique opportunity for discipleship.

One of Gary and Galya’s largest challenges in caring for Mikhail continues to be building his sense of belonging.

“Mikhail has had various disappointments in fitting in with his church,” said Gary. “At times he comes up against some judgmental believers.”

But much of that changed when Mikhail began volun-teering with Gary in a literature distribution ministry—a long-time ministry of CRWM.

Over the past several years, CRWM has been taking steps to hand over its Christian media library to local leadership and volunteers. Now Mikhail plays a part in that transition.

Every Wednesday, Mikhail goes to the large church library downtown and helps visitors find books or devotions that will help them in their spiritual journey. But that’s not all he does there.

“I don’t want a brilliant testimony like Mikhail’s to sit be-hind closed doors all the time,” said Gary. “Sometimes I

go there also, and while I tend the library inside, Mikhail will be on the main street, sharing his testimony with who-ever will listen and passing out flyers for the library.”

Another way that Gary and Galya have helped Mikhail build his sense of self-worth is by entrusting him to watch their home while they are away.

“For Mikhail, as it would be for any former homeless per-son,” said Gary, “it demonstrated our special level of trust and respect to him, that he would guard our home and take care of our cats for a couple days.”

Continued GrowthMikhail has come a long way since the day he was found in the train station. He has grown in his faith over the years and has developed his passion for missions. Still, Gary rec-ognizes Mikhail’s need for continued support to help him fulfill his long-term goal of becoming a missionary.

“Mentoring Misha gives us a unique experience in disci-pling,” says Gary. “I’ve really enjoyed seeing him grow in his faith and in his gifts.”

Thank you for your support for missionaries like Gary and Galya who disciple young believers. Pray that Mikhail will continue to find new ways to belong and serve in his community.

“I don’t want a brilliant testimony like Mikhail’s to sit behind closed doors all the time”

Mikhail volunteers inside the literature ministry (left) and shares his testimony outside (right)

12 • AMONG THE NATIONS

MEXICO

“I actually met Israel for the first time playing basketball my first year in Tijuana,” remembers Scott. “He joined some other pastors and me one week and started playing with us regularly after that.”

Scott and Israel saw each other off the court sometimes too, and a few years later Scott and Marcia attended the Ponces’ wedding.

Developing MinistryWhile in Tijuana, the Geurinks were tasked with working alongside the Reformed Presbyterian Church to plant five churches, but they soon found out that was easier said than done. The first two churches they planted took much lon-ger than expected. But they learned some important lessons along the way.

“Church planting is messy because people are messy,” said Marcia. “Everyone has their own challenges and baggage, but seeing God working in people’s lives has been exciting.”

Meanwhile, Israel was also learning how to lead a church. He felt God calling him to become an elder at Cristo Arca de Salvacion, the church he attended. In Israel’s church, this was an ordained position that required one year of training and had no set term length.

Church Planting PartnersWhen it came time for the Geurinks to begin another church plant in 2007, they came to Cristo Arca de Salvacion to ask for help. They quickly found two eager volunteers: Israel and Elizabeth Ponce.

The two couples began the Agua Viva (living water) church plant along with help from students at the local seminary. Together they organized Bible studies, community outreach programs, and children’s ministries. During this time Scott also worked with Israel to hone his leadership skills.

“Israel was very nervous the first time he preached at Agua Viva,” Scott recalls. “It was great to see him become more skilled over time.”

Linked PathsOver the years, God has linked the paths of Scott Geurink and Israel Ponce on many occasions—in Bible studies, in church planting, and even on the basketball court.

SPRING 2015 • 13

When the Geurinks went on home service, they left Agua Viva under the Ponces’ leadership. Then later, Scott and Marcia noted with great satisfaction, “When we came back, there were new believers joining us for worship and new ministries.”

Even with his increasing leadership experience, Israel was also committed to two jobs and his duties as elder at his home church. For this reason, the Geurinks had no idea that Israel and Elizabeth were contemplating an important decision at this time.

Putting Out a Fleece for Further MinistryAs the Agua Viva ministry grew, Israel began to feel God calling him to take on a greater role there. He knew that Scott and Marcia would be looking for a full-time pastor, so they began praying about this position.

Like Gideon in the book of Judges, Israel put out a fleece for his future ministry, praying for a sign from God. This decision would not be easy. Israel would have to give up one of his jobs and go back to school. He wanted a clear sign that this was what God wanted.

Meanwhile, the Geurinks thought that God might be calling one of the seminary students at the Tijuana Bible Institute, where Scott teaches, to serve at Agua Viva.

“After much prayer, we thought, ‘Wow, maybe God is call-ing Israel to this position,’” said the Geurinks after a few of the seminary candidates did not work out.

When they approached Israel with this question, it brought him to tears. Clearly this was a sign that God was respond-ing to the fleece he had put out!

“It was a powerful moment when we realized that God was bringing us to the same conclusion,” said Scott.

The Tijuana Bible InstituteBoth Israel and Elisabeth enrolled in two years of classes at the Tijuana Bible Institute (TBI), where they learned new skills for developing the Agua Viva ministry. Israel took an additional third year of classes to become an ordained pastor.

Along with classes that Israel took with Scott, he was also taught by James Lee, another CRWM missionary who serves at TBI.

“I have seen in Israel leadership and a passion for God when I had him in my classes,” said James. “God has been working in him.”

In January 2015, Israel graduated from TBI and now serves as Agua Viva’s full time pastor. The Geurinks left Mexico with the confidence that God had prepared Israel and Elizabeth to continue the work at Agua Viva.

Praise God for providing the Agua Viva church plant with two great leaders. Pray that Israel and Elizabeth will continue to seek God’s will.

I have seen in Israel leadership and a passion for God when I had him in my classes.

“

“

14 • AMONG THE NATIONS

UPDATESA Unified Missions AgencyIn February the boards of Christian Reformed Home Missions (HM) and Christian Reformed World Missions (WM) voted to instruct their directors to explore the feasibility of bringing together HM and WM into an agency with both a local and global vision and mandate.

The directors have been asked to prepare a detailed plan for consid-eration by the boards when they meet again in April. The plan would lay out the steps necessary to enter into the process for significant structural change through the CRC’s Board of Trustees and synod.

Prayer Safari in KenyaFrom February 5-16, a volunteer team from North America joined about 20 local church leaders on the Prayer Safari in Kenya. Together they visited hospitals, police departments, schools, government build-ings, and homes to pray with the people of Kenya.

“I never knew you could simply pray for somebody instead of hit-ting them over the head with the Bible,” a local pastor testified. Next year’s Prayer Safari is already scheduled for February 4-14.

Volunteers in HaitiMissionaries in Haiti hosted a large number of volunteer teams at the start of 2015. By the end of March, eight teams traveled to the Carib-bean nation and witnessed how God is at work there.

Many of the teams helped construct a ministry center as a natural way for them to get to know some of the local people. They also learned about child slavery, the 2010 earthquake, and how the missions agencies of the Christian Reformed Church are working together within that context.

Educational Care in South KoreaAl Persenaire, Educational Care Coordinator, and other CRWM rep-resentatives met with several South Korean school officials and ad-ministrators to begin forming a local leadership team that will imple-ment Educational Care (EC) training in Christian schools.

Christian Reformed World Missions will appoint a local leadership team to coordinate EC in South Korea in May 2015. These leaders will receive training and begin working alongside teachers during school breaks.

CONFIDENTIAL

Richard “Dick” De Vries passed away on December 14, 2014 in St. Joseph, Michigan. Dick and his late wife, Cynthia, and their family served in Nigeria from 1965-1971. His sister, Neva De Vries, also served in Nigeria. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, six children, four step-children and their families.

Mrs. Jacoba “Coby” Cok of Grand Rapids, Michigan, passed away on December 16, 2014. She and her late husband, Ralph, and family served in Nigeria from 1959-1983. She is sur-vived by six children and their families.

John Zinkand of Rochester, New York, passed away on February 6, 2015. John and Mary served in Nige-ria from 1986-1990. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their four children and their families.

HOME SERVICE SCENE IN MEMORIAM

Training and strengthening

biblically-minded leaders

SPRING 2015 • 15

Fulfilling Christ’s call to share His message

of salvation

Helping Christian communities around

the world put their faith into action

Enhancing and encouraging schools to serve students in a

Christ-like way

LEADERSHIPDEVELOPMENT

EVANGELISM &DISCIPLESHIP

TRANSFORMINGCOMMUNITIES

CHRISTIANEDUCATION

FOR GOD. WITH YOU. AMONG THE NATIONS.

CONFIDENTIAL

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